PECULIARITIES OF ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION DIAGNOSIS AND SECONDARY PREVENTION ACCORDING TO PHYSICIANS INTERVIEWING

Aim. To reveal peculiarities of arterial hypertension (AH) diagnosis and therapy and their matching with international and national guidelines on AH. Material and Methods. An interview among Moscow physicians dealing with hypertensive patients was conducted in April-June 2005. Interview was taken with specially worked out forms containing 15 questions about hypertensive patient management. 102 physicians took part in interviewing, among them 65 internists and 37 cardiologists. Among interviewed physicians 56 ones were from outpatient clinics, 19 - from diagnostic centers, 14 - from hospitals, 5 - from commercial medical centers, 4 - from research center and 3 physicians had private practice.  Results. 80,4% of interviewed physicians correctly determined the main goals of AH therapy. 16% of doctors did not indicate blood pressure level below 140/90 mm Hg as target level of secondary prevention. Mainly antihypertensive therapy was presented by four classes of medicines, their shares were as follow: ACE inhibitors - 35%, beta-blockers – 28%, diuretics – 26% and calcium antagonists – 10%. Other classes of antihypertensive medicines (antagonists of angiotensin-II receptors, central acting medicines) made about 1% of share. When choosing original medicine among several suggested trade marks, only 22% of doctors defined the medicine correctly. Original medicines made only 29,4% prescriptions in real medical practice. Conclusion. Real practice of AH diagnosis and therapy considerably differs from international and national guidelines on AH. It is possibly related with lack of appropriate knowledge among physicians as well as problems in public health service

THE STATE OF ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION DIAGNOSTICS AND TREATMENT, ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OF THE POLL AMONG PHYSICIANS OF VOLGOGRAD AND VOLGOGRAD REGION

Aim. Assessment and quality of diagnostics of treatment of patients with arterial hypertension (AH) and their conformity with international and national recommendations on AH.Material and methods. The poll among physicians of Volgograd and Volgograd region, who took part in the regional conference, devoted to the problems of AH, was carried out in April 2004. The questionnaire included 13 questions about peculiarities of AH patients’ management 128 physicians took part in the poll, from them 90 thetapeutists (general physicians), 24 cardiologists, and 14 physicians of different therapeutic specializations.Results. Variability of conceptions of physicians on some principals of diagnostics and treatment of AH patients is revealed. Insufficient knowledge of criteria for division patients according to the risk category of cardiovascular complications. The same is observed for definition of AH grade according to the blood pressure level, and of the main approaches AH patients treatment. From all the questioned physicians only 25.2% correctly evaluated the risk level of cardiovascular diseases, 21% of physicians wrongly assessed the AH grade according to the blood pressure Level.Conclusion. Results, show that real practice of diagnostics and treatment of AH significantly deviates from international and national recommendations on AH.</p

Fetal-Type Variants of the Posterior Cerebral Artery and Concurrent Infarction in the Major Arterial Territories of the Cerebral Hemisphere

Fetal-type or fetal posterior cerebral artery (FPCA) is a variant of cerebrovascular anatomy in which the distal posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territory is perfused by a branch of the internal carotid artery (ICA). In the presence of FPCA, thromboembolism in the anterior circulation may result in paradoxical PCA territory infarction with or without concomitant infarction in the territories of the middle (MCA) or the anterior (ACA) cerebral artery. We describe 2 cases of FPCA and concurrent acute infarction in the PCA and ICA territories—right PCA and MCA in Patient 1 and left PCA, MCA, and ACA in Patient 2. Noninvasive angiography detected a left FPCA in both patients. While FPCA was clearly the mechanism of paradoxical infarction in Patient 2, it turned out to be an incidental finding in Patient 1 when evidence of a classic right PCA was uncovered from an old computed tomography scan image. Differences in anatomical details of the FPCA in each patient suggest that the 2 FPCAs are developmentally different. The FPCA of Patient 1 appeared to be an extension of the embryonic left posterior communicating artery (PcomA). Patient 2 had 2 PCAs on the left (PCA duplication), classic bilateral PCAs, and PcomAs, and absent left anterior choroidal artery (AchoA), suggesting developmental AchoA-to-FPCA transformation on the left. These 2 cases underscore the variable anatomy, clinical significance, and embryological origins of FPCA variants

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF COMBINED DRUGS OF ENALAPRIL MALEATE AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE: «RENIPRIL HT» AND «CO-RENITEC» IN PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION

Aim. Tto study efficiency and safety of new combined drug of enalapril maleate and hydrochlorothiazide “Renipril HT: in patients with mild to moderate arterial hypertension (AH) in comparison with the original combined drug with the same substances – “Co-renitec”, possibility of reaching target blood pressure (BP) level with separate treatment with each drug, and in combination with atenolol if necessary.Material and methods. 30 patients (11 men and 19 women) with mild to moderate AH took part in randomized, open, cross over study. 10-14 days before the study started, previous antihypertensive treatment had been canceled for all the patients. Each patient by turns was treated during 6 weeks with Renipril HT (RH) and Co-renitec (CR). Efficiency of antihypertensive therapy was assessed at visits to physician every 2 weeks within the whole period of study. Within first 2 weeks patients were treated with RH 10/12,5 mg daily or CR 10/6,25 mg daily. Within next 2 weeks doses of drugs were doubled if target BP level (&lt;140/90 mmHg) was not reached. If therapy with doubled doses of combined drugs was inefficient, atenolol 25 mg daily was added for the last 2 weeks of treatment with each drug. After 6-week treatment with the first randomized drug, antihypertensive therapy was canceled for 7-14 days depending on addition of atenolol to the therapy.Results. After 6-week treatment with RH average level of systolic BP reduced by 21,8 mmHg compared to the initial level, after 6-week treatment with CR – by 23,8 mmHg. Average level of diastolic BP reduced by 10,8 and 13,5 mmHg respectively (differences between drugs in BP decrease are not significant). By the end of 6-week treatment with RH target BP level was reached in 74% of patients, with CR - in 64% of patients. Bigger number of side-effects was registered in treatment with RH (p=0,03), but most part of them were not severe and didn’t demand therapy correction.Conclusion. New combined drug of enalapril maleate and hydrochlorothiazide – RH is an efficient and safe antihypertensive drug with all advantages of combined drugs. It has no less efficiency than the original drug with the same active components – CR in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. Convenience of taking – once per day – provides high compliance with treatment with this drug.</p